Disclaimer: We do not own Fairy Tail

...

"Oh come on Lucy, it wasn't that bad," said Cana as she sipped from the bottle of booze she was carrying around with her.

"You used me! What kind of friend does that?" replied Lucy, infuriated with how her first mission had played out. At first she was super excited to have been selected by Cana to join her on a quest, the Celestial Wizard almost leaping at the opportunity when the older woman had asked her to join in. Little had she known just what it was that she was getting into.

The quest had gone off rather successfully, despite a few minor complications which had thrown the original plan into disarray (not like there had been much of a plan to begin with). Thankfully there had been one major highlight to the adventure with Lucy having been able to meet the son of one of her idols.

"C'mon, you can't stay mad at me forever," said Cana with a grin.

"I can damn well try."

"Give it a few hours."

Lucy pouted at that but knew that the Card Wizard was likely more than correct. She couldn't have really predicted that her first job would be both something safe and something that she had liked. The blonde also had to admit that it had been a good introduction into the work that she would likely encounter down the track.

"Anyways, I know what else is on your mind," said Cana as her tone became a lot less playful.

"What are you talking about?" asked Lucy.

"You're wondering what it's going to be like when you see Natsu again," said Cana, Lucy freezing midstep. Seeing that her companion had come to a stop on the middle of the street, a sigh escaped Cana's lips as she turned to look at her fellow guild member.

"Is he, you know, alright?"

"He keeps bouncing back," said Cana as she rubbed at the back of her head. When Gray had dragged Natsu in unconscious everyone had become frantic. A quick check up from the doctor, however, revealed that there was nothing new to worry about. "Whether he's 'alright' as you put it is something different altogether."

"What do you mean?" asked Lucy.

"His father left him when he was only seven years old," said Cana. "With nobody to look up to he came into Fairy Tail hoping that one of the quests he would be on would one day lead him back to his dad. After what happened though he's never been permitted to go on a quest that could risk his life even further. Everything that he had been pushing for was so that the one day when he reunited with his dad he could show him how strong he had become."

Lucy was silent as she listened to Cana, deeply interested in the backstory of the pink haired boy. She still seemed to notice however that nobody had actually made mention of just what had happened to cause Natsu to become so injured. Whether or not anybody actually ever told her or if such a thing was considered taboo within the guild was hard to say but clearly it wasn't something she should ask about. Lucy remembered that a great number of people who could have been part of the guild had quit shortly after joining, so it was a possibility they may have been forced to quit for nosing around with things they had no business with.

"C'mon now, what are you phasing out for?" asked Cana as she slapped Lucy playfully on the shoulder. "You're a member of Fairy Tail, we put up with all the shit that the council and life throws at us."

"The council?" repeated Lucy.

"Oh yea, you probably wouldn't guess it but the council's been trying to get us disbanded for years, they're just waiting for us to screw up badly enough so they can make their dream a reality," said Cana.

"Why would the council be angry with a guild?" asked Lucy.

"Property damage mostly amongst a literal treasure chest full of complaints," said Cana. "If you want proof of unnecessary destruction, when you meet Erza, eat her cheesecake."

"Umm… okay," said Lucy unsure of what the brown haired woman was trying to get her to do. Chances were she would understand in given time, and would likely be able to sense whether or not eating somebody else's food would be a wise decision.

"Anyways, have you found a place to live yet?" asked Cana.

"I was looking at this little house on the river that seemed pretty cheap," answered Lucy.

"Forget about it," said Cana with a shake of her head. "If you want the place to go, go to Fairy Hills."

"Fairy Hills?"

"It's practically a stone's throw away from the guild," said Cana. "The only people that live there are part of the guild, so basically you're just moving in with all your family. Of course that doesn't mean that all members of the guild live there, a few people choose to have their own homes since they have families and whatnot. Also it's female tenants only, so you can walk around in your underwear without having to feel embarrassed."

"Pretty sure I'd be embarrassed either way," said Lucy, not really fond of the idea of walking around casually in her undergarments.

"Well at least it's something to think about," stated Cana. "Reckon you can find your way back to the guild from here? I'm going to pop down to the tavern for happy hour. You're welcome to join me if you want."

"I'll pass thank you," said Lucy, waving off the offer.

"Suit yourself then, see ya round Lucy," said Cana as she bid farewell, taking a turn down a nearby street to where the watering hole was located.

Lucy was mildly relieved with the fact that Cana had decided to go elsewhere and also that she hadn't been forcibly dragged along. The brown-haired woman though had given her a lot to think about as well as the experience and knowledge necessary to tackle difficulties which may occur on a job. It was also interesting to note about how the client had tried to make them believe that the price of the mission had increased ten fold but Cana had blatantly refused and stated they'd take the money on the flyer.

Walking up to the front of the guild, Lucy pondered on what she should do with her portion of the reward money. Other than some transport tickets and a night's accommodation on the way home, most of the reward was safely tucked away in her bank account. The first thing she would do with her earnings would be to find a place to live, maybe somebody in the guild could guide her to Fairy Hills later that evening.


Lucy stood up from the table and stretched her arm high above her head. The happy buzz from finishing a job had finally disappeared, leaving her hollow and tired. Previously she had spoken with Levy, the blue haired girl stating that she was willing to take her to Fairy Hills at the end of the day so at least she had somewhere to stay. She rolled her shoulders and headed over to the job board, more out of interest than anything else. Lucy couldn't rest on her laurels; she had to show everyone that she wasn't like all the recruits who had all left soon after joining.

Lucy squinted at the board but none of the jobs really caught her eye. Then again, this was her occupation, her source of income, she had to pick one. She didn't want to be like...be like...oh, what was his name? Nab, that was it. She didn't want to be like Nab, too picky to ever pick a job.

Lucy was broken out off her musings by the sound of wood against wood. She turned around and couldn't stop the pity that flashed through her eyes when she saw Natsu Dragneel. The Dragon Slayer growled and stepped up beside her to view the board. "H-how are you ?" Lucy stammered nervously and instantly felt like slapping herself for asking the idiotic question.

"Just peachy," Natsu said, the sarcasm dripping off his voice like venom. Lucy flinched slightly as the Dragon Slayer viciously ripped a post off the board and turned away.

"Um, my name's Lucy."

The other teen shot her a strange look over his shoulder. "Did I ask?"

Lucy felt crushed. "Well, no but it's the polite thing to do."

Natsu stared at her. "Polite thing to do? Are you lost or something? This is Fairy Tail not some fancy dinner party."

"I know that," Lucy backtracked, "but good manners cost nothing."

Natsu snorted. "Whatever."

Lucy counted to five as she followed the other mage, she had to keep calm. "What's that?" She asked, gesturing at the piece of paper in Natsu's hand.

"You are a stupid one."

Lucy glared at the back of the teen's head. "Yes, I know it's a job but you can't…" Lucy trailed off as Natsu stopped walking forward and she nearly bumped into him.

"Please go away."

The Celestial Spirit Mage silently cursed. "Wait, why don't I tell you about my first mission?"

Natsu sighed. "Will you leave afterwards?"

"Sure," Lucy promised.

"Fine." Natsu collapsed into a chair at an abandoned table, placing his crutch on the worn table. "Take a seat so I can get going."

Lucy sat down and launched into her tale, "Me and Cana took a mission to destroy a book entitled DAYBREAK."

Natsu listened as Lucy described going to the house of Kaby Melon and his wife. At first he seemed somewhat disinterested but as the words continued to string together it was clear that he was slowly getting more intrigued with the story. Lucy went on to explain how Cana had tried to use her by making her become a greasy man's servant before breaking into the mansion and being assaulted by a maid.

"So what?" Natsu asked. "You beat up a maid? Good job, I'm impressed."

Lucy's eyes twitched, man this guy was pissing her off. "No, she was gigantic."

Lucy fished her new key out of her bag. The night after the mission she and Cana had sought shelter in a small inn and during the middle of the night she had awoken and found a pink haired woman standing directly next to her. Naturally she had screamed, nearly waking up all of the occupants both inside and in the surrounding neighbourhood before calming down and listening to the Celestial Spirit's story.

"Look, Gate of the Maiden, open!" In a flash of golden light, a petite pink-haired maid appeared.

"I see what you mean," Natsu deadpanned as the beautiful maid stood to attention.

"N-no, this isn't right." Lucy flustered as she stared at the spirit, the form completely different to the ogre like beast she had previously fought.

The spirit blinked. "Did I do something displeasing, Princess? If so, feel free to punish me in whatever way you feel fit." The sexual implications hung in the air. With a blush, Lucy force-closed the connection and sent the maid back to the Spirit World. She opened her mouth to talk but stopped when she heard it.

Laughter.

Not a chuckle or a giggle but fullout, gut-wrenching laughter. Tears rolled down Natsu Dragneel's face as he thumped the table and the teen's entire body shuddered with mirth. The guild grew silent and people watched with gaping mouths as melancholy Natsu Dragneel honest-to-gods laughed!

Natsu abruptly stopped as he noticed all the attention was on him. His face grew stony and he grabbed his crutch, before leaving the guild with everyone's eyes on his back, the job application he had previously grabbed laid forgotten on the tabletop.

Lucy smiled.

It was a start.

"Lucy!"

Or perhaps the end.

"Yes master," said Lucy as she quickly turned her attention to where the leader of the guild stood. While small in stature there was no denying his presence was intimidating to say the least.

"Follow me," he commanded, heading towards one of the back rooms. Lucy could feel the gaze of the guild on her and couldn't help but fear that she had done something wrong and the mark on her hand was about to be erased. Her footsteps were timid as she moved forward, time seemingly ticking slower than normal.

Once she had entered the room where Makarov stood, she closed the door behind her to make sure that nobody else was able to watch her be removed from the guild. With just herself and the master alone however it felt more crowded than the guildhall did, the walls seemingly closing in on her as she felt herself draw short of breath.

"Natsu… what did you tell him?" asked Makarov.

Lucy blinked twice as she repeated the question in her mind. "Umm, I told him about my job," answered Lucy.

"Is that all?"

"Well, I was trying to explain how I had fought a celestial mage and had won his key from him fair and square," explained Lucy. "I decided to show him the spirit that I had fought and there was a bit of a misunderstanding."

"Hmm, I see," said Makarov as he stroked at his chin.

"Is something wrong Master?" asked Lucy.

A sigh escaped Makarov's lips as he looked out a nearby window to where two birds sat in a tree. "It's been nearly two years since I've heard Natsu laugh," explained the member of the Ten Wizard Saints. "Before that however it's been a long time since he's actually sat and listened to what somebody has had to say. While it may not have shown during the story of your quest, the fact that he paid attention during this time is a testament in itself."

"Why do you think he bothered to listen to me?"

"Perhaps without having been on the field so long, just hearing about it is as good as it will get," said Makarov with a sigh. "If you're able to paint a picture of your journey with words alone he perhaps can get the sensation that he's watching everything you did from over your shoulder, much like how somebody reading the book look's over the character and their actions. If this is the case, I would like you to explain in detail your adventures to Natsu every time you return from a job. I know this may seem like a hassle but today alone you have shown us that the old Natsu still exists inside of him."

"I understand," said Lucy, accepting the task that she had been given. While she did her best to keep her emotions in check in front of the master of Fairy Tail, she was first and foremost truly ecstatic with the fact that she was still a part of the guild. Secondly, she understood the depth of what was being asked of her. While simple in theory she knew that there was no way a simple escort mission would be able to entertain somebody who had been restricted to the city walls for two years.

"Tell me, were there complications during your mission?" asked Makarov.

"Yes, I mean it was my first mission, I'd be more surprised if it had gone smoothly."

"I guess you're right in that regard," said Makarov as he turned to face Lucy once more. "In the next couple of days I will be travelling to a meeting between the Guild Masters and I will be taking Natsu with me, more to keep a watchful eye over him than anything. I trust that when we return there will be another story for you to tell."

"Of course," said Lucy confidently.

"That's what I want to hear," said Makarov with a warm smile, one which Lucy quickly replicated.

It seemed that her time in Fairy Tail was going to be entertaining to say the least.